Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
The present invention relates to a cooked, extruded, and expanded food product that may be consumed as such or added as a component of another food preparation or mixture. More specifically, the present invention relates to a cooked, extruded, and expanded savory cereal and to a process for manufacturing such cereal.
A number of food products such as bread, pudding, confectionery, and various other types of snack foods and flour-based products have been manufactured using the process of extrusion cooking. These products, typically possessing very specific properties, are designed, formulated, and processed to satisfy a particular perceived need.
EP 06 62 788 discloses a process for preparing croutons that float on the surface of a hot soup, which comprises cooking, extruding, and expanding a mixture of amylaceous powdery material, fat, and filler so as to obtain at the outlet of the extruder a food mass having a moisture content of 10-16% by weight and a total fat content of 6-14% by weight of the dry mixture.
GB 2 176 089 discloses a food product that can withstand prolonged exposure to hot or cold liquids through a coating provided by a fatty substance, and a process for making it utilizing one or more metal plates each having one or more apertures which prevent the fragmentation of the food product into powder or granules.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,653,916 discloses a method for preparing an onion ring type snack using a collet extruder for mixing and extruding a formulated mixture comprising 90 to 95 parts flour, 4.75 to 5.75 parts onion flavoring, and up to 5 parts sugar.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,568,550 discloses a process of preparing a cooked and extruded flour-based product wherein the dough is subjected within the extruder to a cooking temperature between 60xc2x0 C. to 120xc2x0 C. and wherein a required gas-forming agent is incorporated into the dough to provide an aerated cell structure.
While these products provide certain benefits, none provide an improved cereal product that can be used alone or as a component of a food preparation, mixture, or product while retaining its crispness and rehydrating properly. Thus, there remains a need for such improved cereal products. The present invention provides such type of product and process for preparing it.
The present invention resolves the problems of the prior art by providing a cooked, extruded, and expanded savory cereal comprising mainly an amylaceous powdery material, fat, and spices. The cereal may be used alone or as a component of a food preparation, mixture, or product such as an omelet or scrambled eggs. When used as part of a food product that comprises eggs, the savory cereal may be present in an amount of between about 5% to about 50% by weight. Another object of the present invention is to provide a process for manufacturing such savory cereal.
The savory cereal of the present invention preferably comprises a mixture of starchy powdery material and/or vegetable powder, oil or fat, and non-fat milk solids. Upon cooking, extruding, and expanding, the resulting savory cereal possesses a specific weight of from about 100 grams/liter to about 500 grams/liter, preferably from about 150 grams/liter to about 350 grams/liter, a gelatinization degree of more than about 25%, preferably of from about 50% to about 90%, and a residual water content of from about 1% to about 5%. Conventional flavoring ingredients such as sugar, salt, and/or spices can also be included if desired.
The savory cereal is prepared by cooking, extruding, and expanding the mixture using a multi-zoned extruder which is heated at various temperatures to effect the cooking and expansion. The resultant savory cereal has the desired specific weight, gelatinization degree, and expansion degree. In the first zone of the extruder, the ingredients of the savory cereal composition are mixed and then transported into the next zone. The mixture is heated, kneaded, and then expanded in the succeeding zones having varying lengths, barrel heating temperatures, and pressures. After the expansion phase, the resulting extruded rope of cooked, extruded, and expanded mass is cut and dried in hot air.
The present invention offers an advantage in that the resultant savory cereal does not lose its crispness and also rehydrates properly within a given period after mixing with a food preparation, mixture, or product, including those containing eggs, such as omelets or scrambled eggs.
Not Applicable
The cooked, extruded, and expanded savory cereal of the present invention preferably comprises, by weight, of from about 40% to about 80% of corn and/or wheat semolina or flour, from about 3% to about 8% of oat flour, from about 5% to about 40% of other amylaceous powdery material and/or vegetable powder, from about 2% to about 9% of oil or fat, and from about 1% to about 5% of non fat milk solids. If desired, from about 2% to about 8% of sugar, and up to about 2% of salt and/or up to 5% of spices can be included.
The process of manufacturing the savory cereal of the present invention comprises cooking, extruding, and expanding a cereal mixture to a gelatinization degree that preferably ranges from about 50% to about 90%. This process is performed at temperatures ranging from about 50xc2x0 C. to about 160xc2x0 C., preferably from about 80xc2x0 C. to about 140xc2x0 C., and under pressures ranging from about 50 bar to about 160 bar for a period of about 5 seconds to about 50 seconds. The cereal mixture described above is utilized. To make a mixture of the ingredients, from about 9% to about 25% of water may be added. A rope of cooked, extruded, and expanded mass having a water content of from 7% to 15% is obtained after extrusion, and it is subsequently cut into pieces and then dried to form the final product.
Surprisingly, the savory cereal of the present invention rehydrates properly without losing its crispness when mixed with watery foods such as eggs and then cooked in a pan to prepare a food preparation, mixture, or product. As noted above, a particularly preferred use of the savory cereal is in preparation of omelets or scrambled eggs.
The other amylaceous powdery material and/or vegetable powder may be flour or semolina. Alternatively, one may use the native starch of a cereal or mixture of cereals such as barley, rice and rye as well as garlic, onion, or leek powder. The oil or fat serves as a lubricant in the cooking-extrusion process. This ingredient may be vegetable oil, vegetable fat, or butter oil. The non-fat milk solids are preferably powdered skimmed milk. When used, the sugar may be sucrose and/or dextrose.
The cereal mixture is prepared by first mixing together the powdery components to obtain a dry mix and then mixing with the liquid components in the first mixing section of an extruder. The mixture at this point preferably comprises from about 9% to about 25% water. This water content gives rise to an expansion degree of the savory cereal of from about 2 to about 4 after cooking and extruding the mixture. This relatively low expansion degree is adequate for obtaining the desired specific weight of from about 100 grams/liter to about 500 grams/liter, and preferably from about 150 grams/liter to about 350 grams/liter.
Cooking of the mixture may be carried out in subsequent sections of the extruder where the mixture is heated, compressed, and sheared so that it forms a cooked thermoplastic mass. The thermoplastic mass may be extruded by having it pushed by an extruder screw or twin screw through the openings of a die at the end of the extruder. The thermoplastic mass may be expanded by extruding it through the die into an open space at ambient temperature and atmospheric pressure. Any traditional food extruder may be used, although a twin screw extruder is preferred. Preferably, a screw length of from about 800 mm to about 1500 mm or more is chosen to provide adequate residence time which may range from about 5 seconds to about 50 seconds.
Preferably, from four to possibly six barrel heating zones are provided in the extruder. In the first zone, the components of the mixture may be simply mixed together and transported into the next zone. In the following zones, the screw configuration can be such that the mixture is simultaneously transported and heated. The barrel heating is typically set to be within a temperature range of from about 50xc2x0 C. up to about 160xc2x0 C. in the second zone and from about 80xc2x0 C. to about 140xc2x0 C. in the third zone. One or more additional heating zones can be included, if desired for a particular product.
Optionally, additional intermediate zones, such as a fourth zone up to possibly a seventh zone, may be configured to cool and knead the heated mixture. In these zones, the screw may have a relatively short screw pitch, and the barrel heating may be set to within a temperature range of from about 60xc2x0 C. to about 80xc2x0 C.
The last zone of the extruder may be configured such that the previously heated and kneaded mixture is further kneaded, compressed, and then pushed through the openings of a die at the end of the screw or twin screw. In the last zone, the screw may have a relatively short screw pitch and the barrel heating may be set to within a temperature range of from about 60xc2x0 C. to about 80xc2x0 C.
A short, middle segment of the screw may comprise compressing elements, if desired.
The die typically has one or more circular openings of from 2 to 5 mm in diameter. The die openings may assume various shapes such as those of polygons or other items, e.g., a star or a comb.
The savory cereal of the present invention preferably has an eye-catching shape such as that of a cube, star, or shell. The present savory cereal may be partially or completely coated with a water-repelling coating which generally comprises an oil.
The present savory cereal may be used alone or form part of a food preparation, mixture, or product. In addition, the mixture may comprise a flavor mix that imparts a flavor such as cheese, mushroom, tomato, corn, or their combinations, to the mixture. The mixture may also comprise one or more vegetable garnishing components such as freeze-dried leek, mushroom, or corn.
The present savory cereal may be conditioned, alone or as part of a mixture or preparation, in a package that protects against humidity. The packaging material may be made of aluminum foil, plastic, or other suitable food packing materials.